


Bonding Bites

by weeniewife



Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, ashe and dedue's restaurant, ashe is too nice to be a boss, ike in customer service what will he do, ike likes Meat, the villains lived! unfortunately, unlikely friendship, well. fodlan is modern!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:27:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28356207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weeniewife/pseuds/weeniewife
Summary: Ike is a waiter at Dedue and Ashe's restaurant. He quickly recognizes a new patron as someone who is not from Fodlan and attempts to extend his hand in friendship, as he knows all that have left their homes to make a life in this crazy new place are still pretty fresh from war. And what's a better way to lift someone's spirits than with a plate of good food?[bunch of fire emblem characters living in the same apartment complex au]
Kudos: 1
Collections: apartment au!





	Bonding Bites

**Author's Note:**

> this is tied to our evergreen au collection!
> 
> just a little modern fodlan au where byleth messed up time and space and now every fire emblem continent is converging and characters are all living in the same place (mostly) peacefully!!
> 
> fodlan is a thousand years in the future but everyone else is from one to two years post-game.  
> Spoiler alert for both PoR/RD and SOV!

Though it may have been an odd career shift from anyone that knew him, Ike truly didn’t mind waiting tables. It wasn’t like the restaurant in question was always busy, and he got as much free (and excellent) food as he wanted. As far as he was concerned he’d stay there for as long as they wanted him to, or for as long as he was in this part of the world.

There was so much left to explore, and he knew the wanderlust would him and his partners eventually, but for now he was happy.

Each day was roughly the same but always different. People were rarely angry when they left, as Dedue and Ashe’s cooking was impeccable and Ashe in particular always went above and beyond to please everyone that walked in. From what he understood the style itself wasn’t exactly everyone’s favorite out there but those who did want to step out of the box were almost always very happy with the result.

Ike took off the stupid hat he’d accidentally incorporated into his ‘uniform,’ running his hand through his hair and letting it spike back up as he sat in their makeshift breakroom. It was mostly a joke at first, something to make Ashe laugh when he was at a very low point, but the fact even Dedue would comment on it kept the damn thing on his head. They both had gone through enough, were _going_ through enough. The least he could do was make them smile somehow.

Even if he had positively impacted their lives financially, handing Ashe a generous bag of gold to help with whatever legal expenses he needed to pay for. Ike had no idea that gold was so much more expensive in Fodlan, and wasn’t expecting the tears, but it still felt like he could do _more._

When she visited, Mist pointed out that he was still acting as a leader despite having absolutely no reason to be. Ike knew at least one thing about everyone that lived around him, still listened intently to everyone’s stories of woe if they needed someone to speak to, and there was his investment in Ashe’s family…

_“I think it’s because he reminds me of you.” It took a while, but he figured out a very possible reason why he cared so very much. “And if someone separated us growing up, or after we lost Father, and I knew you were out there somewhere terrible I wouldn’t have made it very far. He’s so strong.”_

_”Aw, brother…”_

“What do you need?”

Now, he was a great guy. Absolutely wonderful. Ike was intelligent, he was in touch with his emotions and comfortable within his masculinity. He was attractive, assertive, and an all-around great person to be around.

Ike was terrible with customer service.

But the patron in question paid him no mind, as though he was hardly there. He looked _around_ Ike, spoke softly, and did very little to stand out from any other man. The only problem was that Ike was more perceptive of others than he let on, and he could tell that the man was _different._ It might have been the scar on his cheek or the fact he had taken off his gloves to wring together discolored, burned hands. It might have been the airy tone to his voice that screamed BASTIAN to him.

Ike knew this guy had to have been from one of the other continents that whatever god created this weird timeline slapped into place. That meant he wasn’t from his own apartment building, and from one of the others - which didn’t leave any that he would know. Ike wasn’t particularly close with anyone from Valentia, and though Robin had gotten to know Mist quite well when she was visiting, he hadn’t been able to learn much about Ylisse. There was also whatever place that oddball Alfonse was from, and then also…

Yeah, he had no idea.

Whatever place he was from, it meant he was likely fresh from the end of a war and tired. In need of a nice meal and some peace. And so Ike decided whether or not his hunch was correct he’d feed the guy. Nothing solved problems better than a big plate of meat, so that’s what the guy would get if that’s what he wanted.

“Pardon, but do you have business with me?”

“What?”

“You have been staring through me since I first stepped foot into this establishment. Have you something to say?”

“You talk kind of weird.” Again, not the best. ' _You sound like you’re from a time similar to what I’m used to_ and ' _I know you’re going to have one of those ‘silver tongues’_ mixed together a little too simply.

“…my apologies if I have somehow confused you.”

“No, I mean to say…” His eyes quickly scanned the dining area, as though anyone else would be listening in on them. “You sound like a lot of people from back home.”

The customer was quick-witted, as Ike could immediately see something click. His dark eyes seemed to lighten a bit, though his expression did not soften in the least. “You are not from Fodlan either?”

“Nope.” Not that anyone from this world or from any of the other continents apparently would know of Tellius. How odd it was that Valentia knew of Archanea, and they’d somehow weaseled information out Alfonse to prove some of the others were from those places in the _future._ Yet not one person knew of Tellius, and even if there were some shifters none seemed to function exactly like the laguz. It was as though everyone was from the same world, but Ike and the rest were from the moon or something.

“Curious. It is to my understanding the borders do not normally open to outsiders.”

“Pretty weird, right?” Ike would’ve probably smiled and elaborated if he was better at small talk. “It isn’t so bad here though. Just a lot to learn before we got here.”

“Yes, there was quite a bit to become acclimated to in order to fit the new lifestyle.”

At least he hadn’t tossed in a ‘ho!’ or a ‘lest.’ But something was still giving Ike a nobleman vibe. He wasn’t sure if he was going to like that, but even royalty was nothing to Fodlan. No stuck-up, snobby, terrible rich guy would give up his life of luxury and treating the poor terribly to live in a small apartment in a big city.

“But there was a lot to get used to after the war too. That’s how it was for a lot of us.”

“…Indeed.” He was not about to give his waiter any insight into his woes, but ‘a lot to get used to’ was an understatement. Being alive when he knew he very much was not for a time, for one, was quite a lot to adjust to. “Many of life’s normalcies had been crushed beneath the weight of absence, now that there is nothing where blessings once were.”

“Oh, then you’re from Valentia.”

The stranger snapped to attention as if Ike had issued a command. His posture immediately stiffened, his eyes were alert, and he balled his hands into fists. The fact Ike was able to tell exactly where he had come from just from hearing such a comment unnerved him somehow.

“…I know a few people from over there. Not very well, but well enough to know that much.”

“…I see.”

They reached some sort of unspoken understanding. He wasn’t going to ask any more of him.

“I’ll go check on your food.”

Ike had explained to the others quietly that he had met someone from Valentia that they did not know, and he asked if there was a way to let him out earlier than normal to check up on him. Ashe reminded Ike that he was only working because he'd asked to and that they would be fine to continue without him if need be. After the customer’s food was finished up, Ike brought it out along with his own heaping portion.

”I’m out, technically. And your food’s on me.” He said, sitting down at the table in front of the Valentian stranger. “So don’t worry about it. Mind if I sit here?”

“Why the act of kindness?”

Ike shrugged. “You look like you could use it.”

He wrung his hands together again as if attempting to peel away the discoloration. “Then I shall only accept your company if you are to give me a proper introduction.”

“Oh, I’m Ike. Former leader of the Greil Mercenaries.” He paused only briefly, then began cutting at his steak. “I was born in Gallia, in Tellius.”

“…Fernand.”

He probably said something after that, but Ike was only able to process his name fully.

_‘Fernand gets pegged’_ echoed in his mind from the gossip spread about his new group of friends. Not being able to stop himself from it, he flung the piece he was focusing off of his plate and onto the ground somewhere. Ike frowned deeply at the fact he’d lost part of something precious. “Nice to meet you. Did you see where that went?”

Fernand quickly became aware that not only was he dining with a former mercenary - which meant he had no table manners to begin with - he was dining with a complete and utter _fool._ It had been a very long time since he had sat at a table with a child, and he did not want to recall such painful memories. This was far more atypical, as this child was around six feet tall. A sneer pulled at his upper lip despite his attempts at keeping his disgust for those of Ike’s apparent upbringing bottled back up.

Once the fallen piece of steak had been found and disposed of, Ike was back to take his seat in front of what _definitely_ had been a noble at one point in his life. Ike almost wanted to see if he wanted to fight so he could get to know the man that way, but the scars hinted that maybe he wouldn’t want to do something like that so soon after the war.

“I know no one of Tellius.”

“Yeah, I think the other ones that are here are mostly loners.” Ike was painfully aware that Zelgius was out there somewhere for whatever reason. Somehow. Sephiran too, of course. But neither of them really seemed like the type to introduce themselves to every single person in _their_ building. “But you have some pretty friendly guys from where you’re from living near me. They come in sometimes.”

_Pretty friendly._ Fernand was slightly less interested, yet a bit relieved at the same time. Friendly meant he likely met Forsyth (who DID introduce himself to every person in his building). Which meant those others would follow behind him. What they felt of his continued existence was still a mystery, as he had done everything in his power to keep himself isolated from them and Clive had little on his mind other than his sudden divorce. Things with Mathilda had gotten awkward after his own advances on her, as well, so Fernand was quite literally going through his emotions and transitioning into his new life on his own.

As much as he detested having this barbaric dining partner, it was nice to know that he was not entirely alone. They were both fresh from war, hiding from whatever pasts they may have left behind. Those who were in Fodlan now were people who had things to run from or who wanted to forget the horrors they’d endured for so long. Fernand could only imagine that Ike must have battled some sort of god as those in Valentia had, as he couldn’t picture this immensely strong-looking man shrinking out of any kind of fight.

“I can only imagine what you mean by _friendly.”_

“I meant it literally. They are really nice. Besides the guy on the first floor with the cane, I guess.”

Fernand’s grip tightened on his fork and his jaw clenched. Ike, who had finished inhaling his food, was able to spot the tension.

“Did you know the mean one?”

“Yes.” Fernand’s thoughts were sharpening his tongue and he fought to keep it behind his teeth.

“They said he was kind of a ‘bad guy.’ But pretty much everyone -”

“Ike, you appear to be finished with your meal.” He placed his fork down and smoothed his hands against the napkin in his lap before placing it daintily on the table. “And I seem to have forgotten a previous engagement. While I appreciate your hospitality, I really must be going.”

“I can keep meeting you between us. If you need me to protect you from - ”

“I do not believe _I_ need _protection_ from -” he closed his eyes, took in a breath, and relaxed before he let his temper get the better of him. Fernand was working so hard to be kind to people. He was doing his best not to lose his composure. Ike did not know what happened in his former life’s last day. He did not know of his former Lord’s madness. He returned his gloves to his hands as he sifted through which sentiment would best fit to be verbalized. “Berkut knows that I am in Fodlan. And I am aware that he yet lives, as well. I would appreciate not being questioned further.”

“You got it.” Fernand was right, Ike _was_ finished with his plate and had little reason to be there anymore. But instead of just walking away like he was half-tempted to, Ike pulled a pen from a pocket and scribbled down the series of numbers he’d been forced to remember on a napkin. He slid it over to his acquaintance. “I know things got pretty crazy over there. This is my number just in case you need it. Like if you want to make sure no one you know is here before you come in if you liked the food.”

He wasn’t sure which part of the conversation warranted such a gesture but he appreciated it all the same. He _did_ take the napkin, if only because he did enjoy the free meal and being able to confirm no one was there was an added bonus. Maybe Fernand _would_ humor this peasant.

Only a few moments later, Fernand was the first to leave. Ike cleaned up the table and brought the plates to be washed, losing a battle with Ashe over letting him put them away himself.

“I think he’ll come back.”

“Was it someone that we would know of?” Ashe asked.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” he lied, not wanting to bring up the fact it was Fernand, who had been _frequently_ gossiped about in a chat centered around sexwhile Ashe was holding dishes.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this mostly at 4am after spinning the character wheel of death hopefully it is cohesive i just wanted them to talk because i like them and want fernand to suffer thANK YOU


End file.
